For those of you that have had a colposcopy, please tell me if what I'm experiencing is normal. I had one on the 18th. It still hurts, for one and the pain only feels like its getting worse. But what is worrying me right now is ever since I had it I've had chunks...or wads of something coming out. They started off small. But today I noticed that my usual burning just wasn't right. It had turned into a burn with a slight itch so I went to go take a look. While I was down there I noticed something light to medium brown covering the opening so I pulled it out and it was a huge wad of something like tissue paper or paper mache (sp?). I pulled out two wads like that and now I've noticed that the itching is a little less. What is this? I do know that my doctor said at the end of the colpo he had to go inside my cervix for something. So is this brown tissue coming from my uterus or my cervix or what? Is this normal or should I be worried?

And Lori, I do owe you an apology for accusing you of not contributing anything. I am sorry. Thanks for the blog.

[Edit] I also wanted to say that I would not be surprised if I ended up with an infection. It seemed sloppily done. I remember while he was doing the actual procedure he reached for one of the instruments, fumbled, and it hit my leg. He still stuck it inside me anyway. He should have cleaned it off before he did that. Those instruments are supposed to be sterile. My leg is not sterile. I'm just a little worried about it now.

Just wanted to mention something else that we should all consider, maybe many already have... But after hearing the bad luck of another member who is suffering from IBS...I think we need to make sure that we all are getting enough fiber in our diets. Studies already have shown that diets high in fiber reduce the risk of certain types of cancers....Fiber isnt digested but kinda like a chimey sweep for your poop shoot. Maybe it can grab some of these bacteria we aren't wanting around. Anyway, since my diet lacks fiber almost all together..dieticians recommend that you slowly work up to the intake needed. There are supplements that you can add to foods....

What store did you buy your diva cup from?And about the haters, Yes they too drive me crazy! Especially high school girls, they are so freaking inmature. I feel like i'm back in grammer school with a bunch of little ass kids. They can't shut their mouths, and always have to be all "loud" so that everyone can hear them. But I just decided to be the bigger person and just ignore it! It's HARD to do, but if I don't, then i'll end up commiting another VIRGINIA TECH massacre lol. *giggles*

I bought mine from a regular health food store. Get a phone book and look for health food stores. Call them to see if they have them in stock. They are very good!

About the hating, don't let them get to you and don't ignore it. If they say something you don't like pick out something that is wrong with them. That will make them shut up real quick because nobody is perfect. If one of the girls are fat say "I'd rather stink then to be fat as hell". LOL! I ignored it for years and I wish I had not done so. I feel really good when I take up for myself and you know what? They back of.

I brought up the fishy smell to a friend of mine from school and was kinda surprised that she hasn't ever heard of bv..She is in her mid 40's..furthermore after going into the embarrassing details of my stinch after my periods and sex she confessed that she deals with it after sex as well. She thinks it is just that her mate and her have a bad chemisty and isn't a damn bit bothered by it. Thats the part that I can't really get..that it doesn't bother her. I wanted to tell her that maybe she should go to the doc..but I didn't. What do you think I should do..she recently battled cervical cancer....

Today, when I was at my sister's house...she said she had a real bad yeast infection from antibotics that she recently had taken, and I mentioned be careful...you need to watch out for bv. She has heard of bv, which surprised me, because she is only 25. She saw a Tyra Banks talk show about it, not sure when. I am almost 32 years old, and just now finding out about this horrible infection! That's sad.

Who has big enough balls to call Ophra ( I sure as hell don't)...women need to learn more about this!!! Then, maybe with every woman in a frantic state on earth..the research will be bumped up into full force.

I like your idea. I wish someone did have the "balls" to call her up and tell her. There were only two (intimate) friends whom which I ever spoke about the bv. But really my only reason was to let them know that my smell wasn't because of bad hygiene habits. I told them that no matter how much I washed the smell didn't go away. it was embarassing.

My plan is to not eat sugar for a while. How else can you kill these buggers? They seem so resistant. And until someone tells me a better way, I will cut out sugar, honey, potatoes, pasta, bread, anything that is sugary or a simple carbohydrate. You want to starve the bad bacteria, but you also must feed the good ones. Once the good bacteria are hanging out in your body, they need to be fed. Bad bacteria like to eat simple sugars, but good bacteria like to eat fructooligosaccharides (FOS), or inulin rich foods like dandelion, chicory, leeks, asparagus, onion, garlic, jicama, jerusalem artichokes, and wild yam. These foods act as prebiotics, because they stimulate the growth of good bacteria in the intestines. So I am trying to eat these foods when possible.

The diva cup is not a cure! It is just for your period. You can buy it at a health food store for $15.00. I used it because it helped keep the odor away during periods. Plus it's cheaper than pads or tampons. Pads and tampons were $5.00- $10.00 a month(I have a heavy flow).

Oh, if you were an ugly girl they would have nothing to say but because you have something going for yourself they try to hit below the belt if you know what I mean. When they comment about your odor, in there minds they are trying to make themselves seem better. They see you as superior to them and they will do anything they can to get under your skin. I'll be the first to admit that they (hating ass females) have driven me crazy. I'm not going to sit here and say I'm all that but I am cute,and that drives them crazy. I always say "I may stink but at least i'm not fucking ugly and even though I may stink I could still take your man". keep that in mind when people say things like that to you!

What store did you buy your diva cup from?

And about the haters, Yes they too drive me crazy! Especially high school girls, they are so freaking inmature. I feel like i'm back in grammer school with a bunch of little ass kids. They can't shut their mouths, and always have to be all "loud" so that everyone can hear them. But I just decided to be the bigger person and just ignore it! It's HARD to do, but if I don't, then i'll end up commiting another VIRGINIA TECH massacre lol. *giggles*

I was in the heath food store a few weeks ago, and met this woman that worked there, and she started giving me advice for my BV problem. And one of the things she told me was to not eat yogurt until you get over the problem first. To just having the probiotics alone because they are sugar free. That yogurt is great maintenance for digestive and vaginal health, but that it is also high in natural sugars. Milk sugar, called lactose. And that when you have either yeast or bacterial overgrowth in your body - you should starve them by cutting off their food source. So I cut sugar out of my diet.

This is the probiotic technique the woman gave me: upon waking first thing in the morning, stumble into the kitchen, pour some DISTILLED water into a bottle (I use an empty Vitamin Water drink bottle - use any bottle that has a wide opening on it - important because you want to put stuff into it), I pour about five ounces, and then take the probiotics out of the fridge. I have three separate bottles. One for bifidus, one for acidophilus, one for the bulgaricus. Up to you which ones you want to add to your water, it seems like there are a few that are more prevalent in the intestines, and you may want to buy those separately. But this woman told me that they should be purchased separately and kept separate, because they are alive, and very competitive. As we already know. The BV fights with the yeast and fights with the probiotics. You want to add it to the water at the last possible moment. You take a quarter of a teaspoon of each strain, and put it into the bottle. I use a butter knife, because it seems the easiest. I use a dishtowel to wipe off the knife each time it goes into another strain of probiotic. You don't want to contaminate the other jars. Then you add one teaspoon of fructooligosaccharides (FOS), or inulin to the bottle. Put on the cap and shake very well to properly mix everything. Then drink right away. You must do this on an empty stomach. That way the probiotic has a much better chance of making it down into the intestines unharmed. Do not eat breakfast yet. Do not drink anything else. Certainly not tap water because it has chlorine and fluoride in it which would just kill off the bacteria. You must wait an hour or so for the friendly bacteria to make it down there into the intestines and establish themselves. I have the probiotic drink before bed as well. So I'm doing this twice a day.

Lori....girl, you either have way to much time on your hands, or YOU SERIOUSLY ARE IN THE WRONG PROFESSION!!!!

AWESOME BLOG!!! Today was the first time I had the time to look at your blog, and DAMN!!!! That is incredible!!! GREAT WORK!!! See, now, if we had DOCTORS that cared as much as you do, then there would be a fricken cure!!!! I'm very impressed!!! (Which, just so you know, it takes alot to impress me!!) Great Job Lori!!

To be honest, WHENEVER A NEW COMER COMES ON........ EVERYONE HERE.....GIVE THEM LORI'S BLOG!!! Seriously!! So, we all don't have to keep repeating ourselfs!! Wow, I'm still amazed!! hahaha.

Thanks Jewels! Hey, how do you know what I do for a living? Heh. But you're right, I do not work in the medical profession.

Anyway, I'm glad you like the blog. I joined this thread primarily to warn people about Gy-natren (bad stuff!) I appreciate everyone who's shared their experiences, too - if we've saved one woman from ordering the Jamu Stick, the world has become a better place! This thread is definitely a wealth of info. but I thought everyone could definitely use a list. So I made a quick list, and it grew out of that.

I'll keep reading this board and updating the blog. I appreciate all the input!

Lori....girl, you either have way to much time on your hands, or YOU SERIOUSLY ARE IN THE WRONG PROFESSION!!!!

AWESOME BLOG!!! Today was the first time I had the time to look at your blog, and DAMN!!!! That is incredible!!! GREAT WORK!!! See, now, if we had DOCTORS that cared as much as you do, then there would be a fricken cure!!!! I'm very impressed!!! (Which, just so you know, it takes alot to impress me!!) Great Job Lori!!

To be honest, WHENEVER A NEW COMER COMES ON........ EVERYONE HERE.....GIVE THEM LORI'S BLOG!!! Seriously!! So, we all don't have to keep repeating ourselfs!! Wow, I'm still amazed!! hahaha.

Lori, I was wondering whenever you get time if you could list the products used to attact yeast iinfections as well...including prescription, otc, and herbal treatments. Since most of us battle the two back and forth.

Mmm, that's a good idea arj75.

I actually don't have a lot of research under my belt in that area, but I'll start a intro entry, and maybe I'll get some suggestions. Please feel free to share yours.

ETA - okay, I typed up a quick entry. I'll work on it a bit more later, but please feel free to give me your input to get me going. Thanks all! (*check out the MISC link in my sig)

Lori, I was wondering whenever you get time if you could list the products used to attact yeast iinfections as well...including prescription, otc, and herbal treatments. Since most of us battle the two back and forth.

I feel you girl. It's just so freaking depressing! I was contemplating suicide for a long time before I decided to get help. I avoided the help at first because I was to embarassed. I got over it and said "FUCK IT!", I am now seeing a psychiatrist and a therapist. Both whom are very nice ladies.

Good for you, ilovehim.

QUOTE(anitsirhc @ May 19 2007, 05:55 PM)

hey lori, i wanted to ask you which shipping you used for your order from iherb.com. i was looking at it and i wasn't sure if i should do next day shipping or 2nd day or 3rd or regular. i don't want to waste my money on expensive shipping if i don't have to but i also don't want to get it and it not be cold anymore. thanks

anitsirhc - I think it depends on where you live. I live in CA and iHerb is also located in CA - so I just picked the cheapest (USPS priority) and it arrived in 3 days. (Yeap, I placed the order soon after you told us about it.) I actually would have gotten it sooner except I didn't receive a package notice for some reason. Boo. But in a way it's good because I could see that the product would stay cool for 3 days.

So overall, I think 3 days will be fine. If you're picking among the cheapest shipping, I usually get stuff across country faster with USPS priority than with UPS ground. That way you *may* get it in 3 days. If you don't want to chance it, I'd upgrade to UPS 3-day.

QUOTE(britt8705 @ May 19 2007, 06:12 PM)

Hi everyone, I've been gone for awhile. I hope everything is going good for everyone. I was just wondering if someone could fill me in on what's new and what not to do? So far I only used the PH soultion. Thanks

Hey britt. I've written a blog about BV on this site - (see link in my sig). It's a not-yet-complete collection of info, but you might find it useful.

Hi, I will start by saying that I am exhausted after reading all 30-something pages on this topic. And I kept reading, and reading, and reading, hoping that someone would have something to say that would be like a lightning bolt for me. But not too happy to realize that this hasn't been figured out yet. Some good information written by all, but not 100 percent successful for all of us. I have also been reading non stop in medical journals, and talking to naturopaths etc, and there is information out there, but much of it trial and error. Some of it helpful to me, but some not. So my conclusion is this: there is no cure for this yet. I hope there will be a cure at some point soon. After all, how hard can this be to figure out? Well, actually, it is very hard to figure out. Because if it was easy, the medical community would have done so already. Last Saturday HPV was finally on the front page of the New York Times - stating that girls between the ages of 11 and 18 are eligible for voluntary free vaccinations. And 20 states are trying to have a bill passed that makes it a requirement. It took doctors forever to figure out that it was a virus that was causing cervical cancer. And it took them centuries to figure out that ulcers were caused by another cute little bugger Helicobacter pylori; not necessarily caused by stress or spicy foods! So maybe we should cut doctors some slack, and just not count on them for everything. After all, they are not gods. They are mere mortals trying to do their job. And there are so many ailments out there, that one must be very lucky to find a doctor that happens to know what he is doing in this capacity, and with experience. I know I haven't found such a doctor yet. I am sure one is out there, I just don't have the time or the money to keep on looking for him. And believing that there was a magic pill - such as Clindamycin - well, I won't even bother laughing about that one. I took it, it didn't work, as 50% of all women know. And according to what Clindesse themselves state in their literature right there in the box! If I was smart enough I would have read the small print first. And not bothered taking it. Because it probably would have been easier to get rid of the infection had I not taken the antibiotic. I have another Clindamycin sitting here at home, waiting for me to use, but will I? I would have to be a dumb ass to. I was so upset, went back to the doctor, they of course wouldn't even run tests on me to see if I had a bacterial infection or not. Just told me to take the antibiotic again. I asked the doctor why I should, if he wasn't even sure if I had the infection or not? But I am sure you guys have heard this story before.

So, 'why did I get the infection?' Well.... I douched three days in a row. Then all of a sudden had this problem. I of course will never douche again in my life. Another hard lesson learned. Also, I haven't had a boyfriend in a while, and certainly not one that ejaculated in me, so I think this shocked my body. But from what I have been reading, it seems like the body is fully capable of cleaning itself out if everything is working properly. I guess I am not in the great shape I thought I was in. Eight years ago I had a yeast infection that just wouldn't go away. I had it for a whole year. And then I spoke to my mother's friend who owns his own little health food store, and he gave me a list of things to do to get rid of the infection. And I felt the diet working immediately, within two weeks, and was so excited, that I continued to do whatever the hell he told me to do. And I got rid of the infection, but it took months. About four. I was so paranoid that I would get it back though, that I stayed on the regime for an extra three months to make sure I killed it 100%. And it was hell. Because of course you can't eat sweets, etc., and you are always watching what you eat, so it's no fun. How did I get that stubborn yeast infection? I had a boyfriend and he came inside me as well. So the only two problems I have had were right after a guy ejaculated.

But getting back to present, I think that I may have gotten the BV even if my boyfriend hadn't ejaculated in me. Because I am kind of dry. I will get more into that later. Instead of douching afterward, I should have inserted a Boric Acid capsule. I've done that before, and it worked great stabilizing the ph. But I forgot, because I haven't had a boyfriend in so long.

I will add more tomorrow about what my plan is to try to get rid of this infection. I'm way past bed time!

Just a deep stupid thought of the day( watched to much saturday night live back in the day) but....how exactly do these lactobacillus obtain their oxygen?

Not a stupid thought. I was thinking the EXACT same thing about 30 minutes ago. And about liver dysfunction. I am an alcoholic. I've been sick for a long time and all of my symptoms, including the bv, started after a MASSIVE binge that I had. Even though my liver function tests come back ok, I know that there is something wrong with it. No girl's liver can withstand a pint of jack daniels and several beers every night without getting some kind of damage. Keep doing your research, girl. With every question you ask and with every new theory you post I feel that I'm getting closer to a cause. I thank you for all that you've been doing.

I found some information regarding research of two different lactobacillus - cripatus and L jenseni. Medical researchers believe that these are very important in our vaginal flora. Unless I simply overlooked those strains..I didn't notice either of them listed in the labels of the probotics in that fem stuff or that ulitmate flora.....

Just a deep stupid thought of the day( watched to much saturday night live back in the day) but....how exactly do these lactobacillus obtain their oxygen? It it known for sure that they get air from simple ventilation or is it supplied from our vaginal skin cells to them? If our blood oxygen levels are low..could this have any effect on promoting the growth of them?

Also I read that the lactobacillus need glycogen to ferment into lactic acid. It's stored in the liver (i think a few other places too). There are 11 different types of GSD disorders.. has everyone been checked for any liver dysfunctions??

To mention the thoughts of suicide that some of us have had..I have them too. But on a good note...I have been feeling better this week. I cut out the caffiene entirely, and am taking zanax (which helps me sleep), and taking vitamins. I havent had an aniexty attack for 2 days now!!! I even went out lastnight. I drank way to much, and ended getting sick lastnight, throwing my guts up. I should have woke up with a hangover from hell, but I felt great! I really think the vitamins are helping. To my knowledge there is no way to test for water soluble vitamin defiencies, but lack of them can cause severe problems..including depression...... O yeah, i quit taking the prozac.

I brought up the fishy smell to a friend of mine from school and was kinda surprised that she hasn't ever heard of bv..She is in her mid 40's..furthermore after going into the embarrassing details of my stinch after my periods and sex she confessed that she deals with it after sex as well. She thinks it is just that her mate and her have a bad chemisty and isn't a damn bit bothered by it. Thats the part that I can't really get..that it doesn't bother her. I wanted to tell her that maybe she should go to the doc..but I didn't. What do you think I should do..she recently battled cervical cancer....

Today, when I was at my sister's house...she said she had a real bad yeast infection from antibotics that she recently had taken, and I mentioned be careful...you need to watch out for bv. She has heard of bv, which surprised me, because she is only 25. She saw a Tyra Banks talk show about it, not sure when. I am almost 32 years old, and just now finding out about this horrible infection! That's sad.

Who has big enough balls to call Ophra ( I sure as hell don't)...women need to learn more about this!!! Then, maybe with every woman in a frantic state on earth..the research will be bumped up into full force.

Hi everyone, I've been gone for awhile. I hope everything is going good for everyone. I was just wondering if someone could fill me in on what's new and what not to do? So far I only used the PH soultion. Thanks

hey lori, i wanted to ask you which shipping you used for your order from iherb.com. i was looking at it and i wasn't sure if i should do next day shipping or 2nd day or 3rd or regular. i don't want to waste my money on expensive shipping if i don't have to but i also don't want to get it and it not be cold anymore. thanks

Chlorophyll One or two chlorophyll tablets or chlorophyll liquid taken with each meal may also help, as chlorophyll is a great deodorizer.

Magnesium Take magnesium supplements or augment your diet with food sources high in this important mineral. Between 200-500 mg of magnesium have been recommended. You will have to try different doses until you get the amounts that are right for your body.

Vitamins A high-potency B vitamin (50 mg or higher), when combined with magnesium, will help reduce certain secretions that can be a cause of odor. Make sure you are getting 100 mg of PABA and 100 mg of B6.

Zinc If you have body odor, try taking zinc tablets. Zinc, plus magnesium, will help balance your body's metabolism and reduce the cause of bad odor. Studies have shown that taking 30 to 50 mg daily will dramatically reduce certain body odors, although you may need less. Zinc may also reduce perspiration and sweaty feet. However, it is wise to go above 15 mg only with a doctor's supervision as zinc may interfere with the absorption of copper, another essential trace mineral.